Mark Kennedy the sole finalist for president of the University of Colorado, speaks during a town hall at the University of Colorado on April 26, 2019, in Boulder. Kennedy, was at the Macky Auditorium on the Boulder campus for a town hall to and answer questions from students, staff and faculty.

Mark Kennedy, sole presidential finalist for the University of Colorado system, was welcomed to the Boulder campus’s Macky Auditorium Concert Hall with a chorus of boos. And things only got worse from there.

Kennedy’s town hall at the flagship university of the largest academic institution in the state was like oil mixing with water. Heckling and pointed questions from students, faculty and alumni left the University of North Dakota president flustered, at times tripping over his words to the delight of the crowd.

Kennedy, who has been heavily criticized over his Congressional voting record on LGBTQ rights, twice said he wanted to make CU “exclusive” instead of “inclusive,” and the crowd did not let it go unnoticed. Both times, the audience erupted into laughter and clapping, shouting things like “Which one is it?” at Kennedy, who corrected himself after.

The controversial candidate, who as a U.S. representative from Minnesota voted against gay marriage and in favor of abortion restrictions, has been hit with questions from all four campuses this week asking him to atone for his past views and explain what led to his evolution of claiming to support the LGBTQ community.

Grace Brunstrom, center, a freshmen at the University of Colorado covers her face as she listens to Mark Kennedy, the sole finalist for president of the University of Colorado, answer questions on April 26, 2019, in Boulder. Kennedy was at the Macky Auditorium on the Boulder campus for a town hall to and answer questions from students, staff and faculty.

Kennedy has consistently stated his support for diversity and inclusion efforts, talking about the support services for marginalized communities created while he was at UND and his personal transformation on gay marriage he said was a result of meeting people within the LGBTQ community who showed him that same-sex relationships were as strong as “traditional marriage.” On Thursday, he announced that he has invited One Colorado, a statewide gay rights organization, to counsel him.

A student who identified as a member of the conservative community on campus spoke, telling Kennedy it was evident that conservatives are not welcome on campus. The student asked what the First Amendment meant to Kennedy, who responded by saying freedom of expression was key. Kennedy said he hoped to bring debates to campus that would allow people within the community with different views to expand their perspectives.

Lauren Shizuko Stone , an assistant German professor on the Boulder campus, asked Kennedy to tell her how he went from spending his power trying to amend the Constitution to “forever discriminate” against people like her and her wife to supporting the LGBGT community.

“I would like you to publicly apologize and denounce this platform,” Stone said.

Kennedy explained that he finally took to heart the lesson his mother taught him as a boy to approach those on the playground who seemed lonely and “make them fit in.” Kennedy also said after meeting his daughter’s LGBTQ friends and spending time with others in the community, he realized the error in his ways.

“I am pained that my actions caused other pains,” Kennedy said. “I apologize that my actions caused the pain you very eloquently described. My reaching out to One Colorado is a step toward understanding how I can help make sure we are reaching out to that community.”

Stone said hearing that Kennedy “met some gay people” wasn’t an adequate response and that Kennedy chose to answer the question by talking about his own pain rather than the pain he caused.

“He fundamentally misses the point,” Stone said.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post

Mark Kennedy, the sole finalist for president of the University of Colorado, received a chilly reception during a town hall held at the University of Colorado, on April 26, 2019 in Boulder.

Outside the event, protesters handed out pamphlets listing their concerns about Kennedy and the presidential search process. The pamphlets said Kennedy had “bad leadership and lack of awareness” and detailed things like his search for another presidency job recently after being hired at UND and his tendency to make “controversial statements.”

Protestors encouraged town hall attendees to call the CU Board of Regents and try to influence their upcoming vote that would solidify Kennedy’s position leading the university. The board is expected to vote on Kennedy on Thursday.

When Kennedy faced a question about his handling of blackface at UND, he said he condemned the action, but that the people who wore blackface at UND could not be sanctioned because their actions were protected under free speech. He said he would let the chancellors handle the situation if it happened on a CU campus.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post

The majority of the crowd did not give Mark Kennedy, the sole finalist for president of the University of Colorado, a warm reception during an open town hall held with students, faculty and staff at the University of Colorado on April 26, 2019, in Boulder.

After the event, CU Boulder student body president Olivia Wittenberg said she was disappointed in Kennedy’s answers that “passed the buck” when it came to accountability or responsibility and “tokenized” people in the community.

“He doesn’t understand the Boulder campus and what our values are,” Wittenberg said. “Students deserve to be represented by someone who is a leader in diversity and inclusion. It makes me incredibly sad for students because it seems like this is a done deal. I hope the regents saw what happened today, and I hope they don’t turn a blind eye to everything that’s being said.”

Elizabeth Hernandez is a Denver Post reporter covering breaking news and a little bit of everything else, too. A former education reporter at both The Post and Boulder Daily Camera, Elizabeth is passionate about using her platform to tell the stories of underrepresented Coloradans in an accurate, compassionate, engaging manner. She started at The Denver Post as an intern in 2014 and just kept coming to work until they hired her.

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